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Topic: Pulling honey throughout the year (Read 1088 times)

I generally pull honey from my hives (I only have five) any time I get around half of a super capped. I mainly do it because I like to keep different types of honey separated and because I can get by with just one super per hive. I thought this was a common practice, at least among small timers like myself, but I haven't been able to find much information on it.

So now I'm wondering if anyone else is doing this and, if not, is it because there is a downside that I'm not seeing (other than a little additional disturbance to the bees).

There is nothing wrong with doing that, imo...however, I think a few things need to be considered, or should be. Honey goes through phases before reaching maturity. well, moisture content and thus sugar concentration anyways. this is part of the amazing aspect of bees making caps breathable, and how they take care of it, fanning and dehydrating. If, one takes a spectrometer tests the concentration of the honey and it is within what they desire, and there is enough left for the bees then, I see nothing wrong with taking it, if there is enough year round, especially if it is attempting to get it as monofloral as you can, also. Big operations I think stay within schedules though, they often leave their hives and let them do their thing, because it is no doubt more expensive to have things operating 100% of the time with the hopes of product, and not getting it. not to mention if things go bad later in the year for some reason, it is a lot easier to have big losses or expenses I'd think to try to compensate after for those issues. So, I'd imagine they try to keep things to a point of harvesting when it is the best advantage to them only, I wouldn't know though for sure, I'm not a big operation nor do I know how they run specifically though.

I pull frequently: 1. to keep the hives manageable.2. to separate flows of highly desirable honey 3. to isolate unpleasant honey (Avocado and English Ivy) 4. to get honey that will crystalize in the comb off the hive --high glucose nectars will crystalize.5. to lighten and stabilize the hives to move them 6. to reduce the inventory of supers needed7. to permit summer oxalic treatment without souring the honey.

I have only a limited winter to deal with (strong bloom by mid-December), so my practice can be sloppier than folks who have a much more regimented annual cycle.

Which ever one decides to go with. I am quite sure there are almost as many suggestions as there is beekeepers. I think it is a matter of who you are, where you are at and when is the most suitable for you. Although you did do the right thing, to get other opinions. :) d2

I have 3 hives and I pull capped frames of honey as I find them. This way there is always storage room in the replacement frames so I don't lose production cause there was no place to store the honey. Should also keep them from back filling the brood nest with honey.

Okay, so do you store the frames until you have enough to make it worth the time to extract, or just get after it and extract?

I pulled some after the blackberry flow last year, will again this year, but have separated the box with the Maple flow. Other two hives don't have enough stores at all....new splits....so I kind of want to save some honey in case they need it later in the season.

I can always harvest what is left in the spring, like I did this year. Yes, the aged honey is different than the freshly capped.

Its the only way I've done it since at least 2007. I don't own an extractor and for a beeyard with room for just 10-15 colonies, simply removing filled, capped frames has worked very well for me.

To remove the bees I just use an inner cover with a 'bee escape' placed in the center hole, with the super filled w/ frames of honey to be removed placed above it. Overnight the majority of bees move below and 'can't move back up.

By the next day I can simply remove the super, which is now void of bees and the honey is ready to crush and strain or use as comb honey.

Logged

"Trust those who seek the truth, doubt those who say they've found it."

Here in Central Arkansas I pull frames 3 times a year.Around June 1st, Mid July then September.The reason is during the hot summer the bees will move the honey down and consume it when there isn't anything in bloom.You think you've got x amount of full supers then in the fall you go to harvest it and it's not there.